Bryce Harper compares struggling Nationals to Triple-A team

The Washington Nationals have been hit by a ton of injuries in 2018. Anthony Rendon, Daniel Murphy and Adam Eaton have all missed time at the start of the season. The team has struggled without them.

Rendon and Murphy might return soon, though, and no one is happier about that news than outfielder Bryce Harper. The 25-year-old compared the current iteration of the Nationals to the team’s Triple-A affiliate.

Harper said the Nationals are “13-16 with the Syracuse Sky Chiefs.” The team used to be called the Sky Chiefs. They are just the Chiefs now. Still, Harper’s implication remains the same regardless of the team name.

While that’s a harsh assessment, Harper isn’t that far off. The Nationals have used Pedro Severino, Moises Sierra, Wilmer Difo and Brian Goodwin in significant roles this season. Tuesday’s lineup was a little better than usual, but it’s still far off the Nationals’ every day crew.

In an effort to get things going, Harper will bat leadoff for Tuesday’s game. That might be manager Dave Martinez’s way of preventing teams from walking his slugger. Harper has walked 38 times this season and he’s starting to get sick of it.

Bryce Harper on getting walked so much: “I’m 25 years old, I want to hit”